Things Change, Right?
by SwanQueenEndgameForever
Summary: Emma moves back to Storybrooke and is struggling to find a job. Her parents keep telling her that if she doesn't get a job soon, they will stop paying her rent and she will be forced to move back in with them which is most definitely something she does not want to do. Mayor Regina Mills has something in mind for her but will she see things she not supposed to see? SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

It was very early on a spring morning when Emma finally pulled into her parents' driveway. She had been driving for almost twenty-four hours in her trusty little yellow bug. The drive from Tampa had been a long and grueling one and needless to say, as much as she hated storybrooke, she was happy to be back. She did love her car but driving for long periods of time in such an old vehicle was definitely not one of her favorite activities. A few years ago, Emma decided she had had enough of her life in Storybrooke. She packed her bags and took her entire life on the road with her. Travelling had always been something she wanted to do but she never had the chance to. Her parents refused to leave Storybrooke when she was younger. They always told her that "they had a bad feeling about leaving their home." Since she was finally able to do things on her own, she decided to leave and trek across parts of America for as long as she could. She spent a year in Georgia, in a small apartment that was barely big enough for one person and then she moved on to Mississippi where she found a gorgeous studio apartment for way too much money. From there, she went to Arkansas where she lived in her car for most of the time and finally she ended up in Florida. By the end of her little freedom escapade, she thought it would be best to move back home thinking things would be different when she got back. Unfortunately, she had thought wrong. In her eyes, nothing had changed, or so she thought. Since Emma hadn't been home in quite some time she was not up-to-date with the changes in her hometown, for example; she did not know that Regina Mills was now the mayor nor did she think about how grown up all of her friends and family would now be.

After parking her car out of the view of the street, Emma grabbed the bag with her most important belongings, including her baby blanket, her red leather jacket, her favorite pair of slippers, her cellphone and laptop as well as some changes of clothing, and she strode right up the stairs to her parents' door. She tentatively knocked on the door and quietly took a step back, awaiting her parent's reactions when they opened the door to see who had woken them up at such an early hour. Mary Margaret was the first to get up and out of bed. She made sure that David was up just incase something was wrong when she opened the door. Emma had been avoiding contact with anyone and everyone from Storybrooke for the past few weeks so her family would have no idea that it could be her at the door. When Mary Margaret opened the door, she let out a high-pitched squeal and lunged to hug Emma. Emma had been expecting a reaction like that but she was surprised that her mother hadn't seemed to age one bit. She decided to store that thought in the back of her mind for the time being. As soon as David heard Mary Margaret yell, he jumped out of bed and scurried down the stairs to the door where he was met with the sight of Mary Margaret clinging to Emma and tears rolling down both of their cheeks. Not a word was said until David joined the group hug.

"Emma, where have you been these past few weeks? We were worried sick" said David.

"I wanted my return home to be a surprise to everyone and I just needed some time to think and get myself together. I'm sorry I worried you so much."

"Please please please don't ever do that again sweetheart, we are your family and we want to protect you even if you aren't near."

"I'm sorry mom, I just needed time, ya know?"

Both David and Mary Margaret shook their heads as they separated from the tight embrace they had all just been sharing. "Why don't you and your father head down and get all of your things. We can put them in your bedroom and I'll make some coffee for all of us." Mary Margaret offered.

"That's alright mom, I actually wasn't planning on staying here too long. A few weeks ago I secured a place in the apartment complex down the street. It will be move-in ready this afternoon. That's why I drove in this morning so I wouldn't have to take up too much space here and take time away from you and dad."

"Are you sure? It would be a pleasure to have our baby girl back in our home! We've missed you so much."

"Nah, but thanks mom. I've got it all handled… but I may need some help with payment for the next few weeks. The only apartment I could get was meant for a couple and the rent is on the higher side. It's the complexes down on the end of Main Street, the ones that Mr. Gold owns" Emma said with a slight hint of guilt. She never liked to rely on anyone for anything in her life. She was independent and she liked to handle things on her own but this was one thing she could not do by herself. Unfortunately, the constant travelling had taken a toll on her bank account even though she had steady jobs wherever she was. Renting apartments was a lot more expensive then Emma had thought they would be. She hated the fact that she had to ask her parents for help, it just wasn't in her nature. Suddenly, Mary Margaret interrupted her reverie, "Then why don't you come in and put your bag down. I'll start on some coffee and you can catch us up on all of the amazing things you've been doing these past few years. I would love to hear about the beautiful sights and amazing things you've done. Unless you're too tired? How long have you been driving for? You took breaks right?"

"Yes mom, of course I took breaks. I am perfectly fine." Although Emma was the best at detecting when people were lying to her, she wasn't the best at lying herself. Her mother could see right through her but Mary Margaret dismissed what Emma said and headed to the kitchen to start making some coffee.

"You do know that your mother and I can see right through you, right?"

"Yeah, it was more believable in my head." Emma smiled and hugged her father. "It's great to see you two again." Both Emma and David followed Mary Margaret to the kitchen and sat down at the island, waiting for the coffee to be finished.

"So tell us all about your little adventure."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Emma and her parents sat at the kitchen island for a few hours, exchanging stories, drinking coffee and sharing new life lessons that they had experienced while they were away from one another. Mary Margaret told Emma how she had spilled her coffee, then tripped and fallen in front of Regina twice while walking out of Granny's Diner, both times were equally as embarrassing. She had gotten that evil smirk of Regina's for weeks after those two incidents. Mary Margaret was positive that she would never live those two instances down. Emma, David, and Mary Margaret swapped unique stories and happenings but they were cut short. Unfortunately, both David and Mary Margaret had to get ready for work at around seven-thirty. David still worked at the animal shelter part-time as well as at the sheriff's station and Mary Margaret worked full-time at the school. They had to end their conversation and head to their bedroom to prepare for the day. Emma took that as her cue to leave and maybe hit up a few of her old friends to see how they were doing. "I'll call you guys once I get everything settled at the new apartment. Talk to you later," Emma yelled as she walked out of the door. Once it was closed she heard a faint "Love you!" from both David and Mary Margaret.

First on the list of people Emma wanted to visit was, of course, Ruby. Emma and Ruby had been the best of friends for as long as she could remember. Every day after school they spent time at the beach or by the docks doing homework or playing games until they got old enough to work at the diner. Even then they spent almost every waking moment together. Sometimes Belle tagged along as well as August or Jefferson. When the group of them got together, all hell would break loose. They always did the craziest things and they made the best kinds of memories together. That was definitely something Emma sincerely missed.

Emma opted out of driving her bug around town to avoid gossip. Instead, she walked to the diner. It felt good to stretch her legs considering she was driving in a car for a good twenty-four hours. This way, she also got to smell all of the budding flowers and see the new growth on the trees. On her way to the diner, she noticed something odd. The mayor's car was parked outside of the library, but since when did Regina ever even set foot in that dusty old place? Another thought to be stored in the back of her mind for later. Emma looked up and realized she was about ten feet away from the Diner door. She could see Ruby cleaning tables through the windows and suddenly a huge smile was set upon her face. Slowly, she approached the door and opened it ever so slightly as to avoid having all of the diners' eyes on her. She gently closed the door and said "Hey Rubes, long time, no see, huh?" Immediately Ruby turned around and sprinted for Emma. They held each other in a tight embrace until they couldn't breathe anymore. "Oh my goodness! Where have you been? I can't believe you're back I've missed you so much! When did you get back? You have to tell me absolutely everything!" Ruby kept on rambling until Emma finally spoke up.

"Whoa there tiger! Slow down! I missed you too. When are you free? We can sit and eat at my new apartment and talk about everything that's happened since I left."  
"You got a new apartment" Ruby said questioningly. "I guess we really do have a lot to talk about! I get off at five, can I come over then?"

"Of course you can Rubes. Is Granny here? I'd love to see her."

"Is that little Emma I hear? Come give Granny a hug." Granny said as she opened her arms wide to hold Emma in a tight embrace.

"You haven't changed a bit Granny."

"Neither have you kiddo. Now stop distracting Ruby from her work, it's almost time for the breakfast rush and I will not be losing any customers this morning!" And with that, Granny walked back off into the kitchen. Both Emma and Ruby snickered as they watched Granny walk away. "I'll text you my apartment number okay? I'm gonna be at Gold's Apartments down the street."

"You're living there? Isn't that crazy expensive?"

"Yeah, it kind of is, but it's all I could get for now."

"Why not move in with your parents?"

"Ew, no thanks. I'm old enough to know what they do at night and I would rather not be subjected to that anymore than I already have been in my lifetime."

"Gross Em's TMI."

"Sorry," Emma chuckled, "I'll see you later on Rubes." Emma said as she began to walk toward the diner door.

"Don't forget to text me."

"I won't!"

From the diner, Emma planned on heading to see Belle. She figured the first place she should check was the library. Belle had been a bookworm ever since they met, but now that Emma was thinking about it, she couldn't even remember when they had met. Yet again, another thought to be stored in the back of her mind. On her walk to the library, Emma literally bumped into August. "Holy hell, Emma is that really you?"

Emma looked up with wide eyes. "August? Man, come give me a hug!" The two held each other for a long time. They had a special relationship even when they were younger. August was the only person Emma really remembered meeting.

 _Emma was about five years old when they met. She was running around the school playground when an older student had pushed her down and told her to play in the corner where the rest of the young children were playing. Immediately, August stepped in and punched the other child in the face. Once he was satisfied with his work, he turned around and faced Emma. She only had a few scrapes and cuts, one on her knee and the others on her right hand and the side of her face._

 _"_ _Are you okay? I saw that kid push you down. Are you hurt" August asked as he held out his hand to help Emma up off of the ground._

 _"_ _I hurt my knee bad" was all Emma could say. All three of them were sent to the nurse to be checked and cleaned up and then they were sent to the principles office. August was praised for helping the five-year-old Emma out on the playground but the other boy was sent straight home to be punished for what he had done. From then on, August became a big brother to Emma. He was always there for her, no matter what happened._

"Where have you been Em's? How long has it been since you left, I can't even remember you've been gone so long. You look great!"

"Thanks August. I don't even remember how long it's been. I just kind of up and left from this place but I'm glad to be back. Hey, why don't you come over tonight? Ruby is coming over for food and probably some drinks, wanna join? We can catch up."

"That sounds great Em. Aren't you living with your parents though?"

"Nah, I got an apartment right there," Emma said as she pointed to Gold's Apartments down the street, "I can text you what time and my apartment number later once I get settled in."

"Sure, sure, that sounds great!"

"Okay, cool. I'm on my way to see Belle so I gotta run but I'll see you tonight?" Emma began to walk off toward the library, still looking August's way.

"Yeah, I'll uh,,, see you tonight!" August said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, turned around and kept walking toward the docks.

Once Emma was back on task, she noticed that the mayor's car was gone. She decided to push that thought out of her mind and go seek out her good friend Belle. Emma nudged the library door open and stuck her head inside of the building. The little bell on top of the door made a jingling sound which roused Belle from her imaginary world in the book she was reading. "Emma? Is that you?" Belle said as she set down "Alice in Wonderland" By Lewis Carroll and tentatively walked toward the door. "Well I'll be. You look amazing Emma." Belle reached to open the door more as Emma stepped fully into the library and gave Belle a tight squeeze.

"How are you doing Belle?"

"I'm well, and I will assume you are the same, you look fantastic."

"Thank you! I just got back to Storybrooke this morning and thought I would catch up with everyone today. Do you want to come to my apartment later on tonight? Ruby and August will be there! I still have to find Jefferson and invite him but we are going to have food and drinks and all catch up, just like old times!" Belle looked around the room awkwardly before answering, "sure, I would love to come, but I don't think you'll be able to find Jefferson."

"What do you mean? I know he used to love Hide-N-Seek but he can't be that tricky to find-"

"No, Emma, you don't understand. He was taken in to the hospital a few months after you left Storybrooke."

"Is he okay? Belle tell me what happened!" Emma demanded.

"Nobody knows. He wanted to run after you because it just wasn't the same here without you but once he left, he just became… weird. Ruby and I watched him walk past the Storybrooke sign but when he turned around, he just continuously mumbled about fairytales and capturing the Evil Queen. He repeated the phrase 'the savior will save us,' until we called someone to come help. He was brought into the psychiatric part of the hospital and he has been there ever since."

"That's awful… are you sure he wasn't joking? You know how he used to joke around with all of us."

"No, not at all, he was completely out of it. Ruby and I were scared to death. I'm sorry to dump such awful news on you the second you get back home but I would love to join you all tonight."

"I'm glad you told me now instead of finding out later, thanks… I'll um…. I'll text you with the details later okay?"

"Sounds great Emma, and again, I'm sorry."

"It's no big deal, I'll see you tonight Belle," and with that, Emma walked out of the library and on to the sidewalk. Now her mission was to set her apartment up, catch up with her friends, and figure out what was going on in her hometown.


	3. Chapter 3

**Anything in bold and italics is text conversation and anything in just italics will be flashbacks.**

* * *

Chapter Three

Emma looked back at the now closed library doors with a quizzical expression. She never thought Jefferson, of all people, would go crazy after someone as unimportant as Emma had left town. Speaking about leaving town, Emma didn't think she had ever heard about anyone leaving Storybrooke. The list of thoughts she had to store in the back of her head for later was growing bigger and bigger by the minute. She thought it would be best to just continue her day for the time being and figure everything out when she was really settled back in to her hometown.

With that, Emma looked both ways before crossing the street and heading toward her new apartment building. The morning air was crisp and really refreshing considering she had severely fucked up her sleeping schedule. On her short walk to the apartment complex, she saw Archie walking Pongo, Marco working at his shop, Ashley and her newborn taking a stroll as well as Mr. Clark who was just opening up the convenience store down the street. Every person she passed on her walk was surprised to see her and they all quickly greeted her with a hug and well wishes, promising to speak and catch up at a later date. Emma had truly missed the quaintness of her hometown. She missed how friendly everyone was and she missed all of the positive vibes that constantly flowed through the town. Before she knew it, Emma was at the front steps of her new home. She tentatively pushed the door open into a lavish entryway. There were mailboxes on the wall on the far left and in the right corner of the room there was a grand staircase leading up to what she thought would be the apartments. Emma slowly stepped into the room and took the scenery in. No wonder everything was so damn expensive! The walls were painted a beautiful cream color with white and off-white paisley decorations on them and the windows had gorgeous curtains hanging there to cover them. The ceiling was decorated just like a cathedral would be and the floors had extravagantly decorated carpet leading all the way up the stairs. Emma stepped more in to the room when suddenly a mans voice rang through the room and scared her out of her musings. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Miss Emma Swan. Pleasure to have you back in town." Mr. Gold said.

"Yeah, it's nice to be back. Um… I know I'm a little early but I figured since it's your apartments that everything would be ready already? I can go if not…"

"Nonsense deary! Follow me."

"Uh… okay sure!" For as long as Emma had lived in Storybrooke, she had always been afraid of Mr. Gold. He was always courteous and kind but he had a weird way of doing things. He gave out creepy vibes and Emma's guard was always up when she was around him. They ascended the stairs to the fifth floor where Mr. Gold brought Emma to room 530. "Shall I do the honors?"

Mr. Gold asked as he took Emma's room key out of his suit jacket pocket.

"Sure, go right ahead," Emma said skeptically.  
Slowly, Mr. Gold turned the key and unlocked the door. He moved out of the way so Emma could enter her new apartment first. Much to Emma's surprise, the apartment was quite modern. She opened the door to a living and dining room area already stocked with plenty of beautiful furniture. To the left was the kitchen, (there was even an island!), and to the right was the dining room. Off of the dining room there was a hallway that lead two a full bath and a master bedroom as well as a half bath and another bedroom that could easily be converted into an office. While Emma was exploring, Mr. Gold's voice came from somewhere in the living room area. "I expect three weeks' payment by tomorrow Miss Swan. I'll let the move-in fees slide for now but my $3,000 will be in my mailbox tomorrow. Are we clear?"

Emma tentatively walked back into the living room where she saw Mr. Gold staring out of the floor to ceiling windows at the back of her apartment. "Um… crystal clear Mr. Gold."

"Very well, I'll give you time to settle in. If you need anything, Johanna will be at your service. Her information is on the counter. Good day, Miss Swan," and with that, he was gone. Emma took a deep breath in and plopped herself down on the living room couch. The placed seem too big for just one person, but for now it was all that she had. Perhaps in the future she would consider having a roommate to help pay the bills. God only knows how much Mr. Gold will start to charge people in a year or two.

Emma looked around the room and remembered that she had made plans with her friends. She scrambled off of the couch and searched for her cellphone in her jean pockets. Immediately she made a group message consisting of herself, Belle, August and Ruby.

 ** _Emma: Hey guys, so my new apartment is super rad. It's in the Gold Apartment complex at the end of Main Street, room number 530. Let's say we all meet up here for food and drinks at around 6:30? Does that work for everyone?_**

After Emma sent out that text, she walked to her new front door and took the key that Mr. Gold had left in it. Her phone buzzed a few times so she stuck her key in her back pocket and checked her messages.

 ** _Ruby: You got it chief!_**

 ** _Belle: That works perfectly fine for me!_**

 ** _August: See you then gang._**

Instantly, there was a smile on her face. Emma only had a few hours to bring her belongings into her new apartment and go grab some take out and drinks for everyone. Since her car was at her parent's place, she either needed to get a ride or walk across town to get her bug. She chose the latter because who wouldn't want to walk on such a beautiful spring morning? With her day planned out, Emma headed out her door and locked it. First stop, her parents place.

Emma had spent most of her time shopping for drinks because unfortunately, all of her friends enjoyed different things. August was more of a beer kind of guy whereas Belle enjoyed wine and Ruby would prefer vodka or tequila. It was always a fun night when they all got together and told stories and enjoyed each others company. This night was going to be one for their history books. The second Emma got in the door, her cellphone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Emma Swan, $3,000? You've got to be kidding me."

"I know mom, I told you it was expensive. I just need help until I can get a steady job, it shouldn't be too long."

"We can't support you like this for too long Emma. We don't have that much money in the first place."

"Thank you mom, you're the best I gotta go!" Emma tried her best to avoid that conversation. She knew it was a lot of money and asking her parents for something like that was just too much to request. She needed a job and she needed it soon. Emma made herself a mental note to go job searching in the morning, but for now she was going to enjoy some alone time with her friends. She had been isolating herself from everyone over the past few years and it turned out to be a bad thing for her physical and mental health. It was time she got back into the swing of things.  
A sharp knock at the door pulled Emma out of her thoughts. "Coming!" she yelled toward the door. She walked to the door and placed her hand on the door knob. Before opening it, she turned back and looked at everything to make sure it was perfect for when her friends got there. The table was set up with chips and salsa, there were several kinds of alcohols assorted on the table as well as some of her old photo albums that she usually kept in boxes in her car. To Emma, everything looked perfect. She turned back toward the door and took in a deep breath.

"Hey Em's," Ruby said as she burst through the door to give Emma a hug. One by one the three of them all filtered in.  
"Did you guys all come here together?" Emma asked?

"Yeah," August replied, "we thought it would be easier to all meet up at the diner and come together."

"Well I bought everyone their favorite drinks so go ahead and help yourselves!"

"Emma, you don't have to be formal with us," Belle said as she went to hug Emma. "It's just us."

And with that, Emma realized she just needed to be herself. The four of them all huddled around Emma's new couch and told stories, laughed, ate and drank. They had been talking for about three hours when a knock on the door woke them out of their giggling haze.

Ruby spoke up first, "Who else did you invite Em's?"

"Um… no one. I guess it could be Mary Margaret or David but I didn't tell them what number the apartment was."  
Another knocked sounded throughout the room, this time it was a little louder. "I'll get it!" Ruby chimed in. Just as she was about to get up and walk over to the door, Emma beat her to it. "No worries Ruby, I got this." Emma looked through her peep hole but couldn't see anything so she decided to open the door slowly.

"Regina! It's a surprise to see you here. Um… would you like to come in? I mean come in and join us? We are just catching up about st-"

"Hello Miss Swan. I heard rumors around town that you were back but I had yet to see that hideous yellow death-trap of yours crawling around town. I just came to check if the rumors were true." Regina looked Emma up and down skeptically before continuing. "And why, may I ask, did you return to Storybrooke?"

"Well this is my home and I really missed everyone so I thought it would be best to come back." Emma looked at the ground nervously and shuffled her feet before looking back up at Regina who had her eyes trained on Emma the entire time.

"I see. Well… Welcome back Miss Swan."  
Emma was about to reply when Regina turned away and began to walk down the carpeted steps.

"Regina! Wait!" That halted Regina in her tracks.

"Yes, Miss Swan? What is it? I don't have all night to fool around with you and your friends."  
Regina said impatiently with her arms folded across her chest.

"I just wanted to say congratulations on becoming mayor and all."

"It is quite a big feat for such a small town."

"Yeah well, I'll see you around."

"Goodnight Emma."

There was definitely something strange about Mayor Mills and Emma was going to get to the bottom of it… but first, she needed to take a nap.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone that has read, reviewed and followed this story so far! It means so much to me. I'll try to keep this short and sweet. I am looking for a beta. I will be updating this story once a week on Wednesdays/Thursdays. Reviews keep me going so REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Please and thank you! I really love the reviews so I can see what you guys are looking for in this story. Although it does have a somewhat set path, I still want to hear your opinions. It makes me happy to log on and see that someone has read or reviewed the story! Without further ado, here's the newest chapter! (I do not own OUAT or the any of the characters used in this story unfortunately...)

~Mikayla

Chapter Four

The next morning, Emma woke up with a headache. Apparently last night she had had one too many drinks. She carefully propped herself up on an unfamiliar bed and looked to the left where her nightstand stood. There was a note on it that read "Water and Advil for the hangover in the morning. ~Rubes" The clock on the nightstand read 7:23 A.M. "I guess it's time to get up," she said to herself. She cautiously got out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom that came equipped with a new walk-in shower. Luckily, Emma had fully stocked her shower the night before. Emma had never had the luxury of showering in such a spacious shower. She was excited but nervous about her new home. The place was beautiful but the price was not. Once Emma was done, she exited the shower, draped her cotton robe over her body and walked across her bedroom to her new walk-in closet. Since it was only the beginning of April, the mornings could get pretty chilly so Emma decided to put on a white tank top with her trusty red leather jacket and a pair of skinny jeans as well as her black boots that she liked to pair with her favorite jacket. She decided to let her hair air-dry today because it would probably end up going in a pony-tail soon enough anyway. Emma walked to her vanity and applied a small amount of mascara and some of her favorite perfume. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror and headed to her kitchen. While she was out shopping for drinks last night, she completely forgot to get groceries for her fridge. "Granny's it is," she said to herself. Emma grabbed her cellphone, Johanna's information and her keys from the counter and went on her way to grab a coffee and a bear claw from the diner. Ruby wasn't in this morning, which honestly wasn't a surprise to Emma. The previous night Ruby had told Emma that she had been having a lot of trouble sleeping during full moons, especially recently. Last night had been a full moon and Ruby was on a roll so Emma guessed she must have had the worst hangover out of all of her friends.

After getting her bear claw and a coffee, Emma chose to walk to town hall and see if there were any job listing on the bulletin board. The walk was refreshing for Emma. She had missed being able to take quiet strolls around town. All the places she had been too were loud and there was always something happening. Once close enough to town hall, Emma could see that the bulletin board was littered with papers. She jogged the last few feet to see what all the different signs were about. There were signs for shops and stores and there were signs for missing pets but there were no signs for any place looking for new employees.

Unbeknownst to Emma, Regina was watching her from across the street. Regina thought it was odd that Emma would be looking at the bulletin board. There was no reason for her to be unless she was on the hunt for lost animals. She decided to head Emma's way and investigate what was going on.

"Good morning Miss Swan."

Regina had startled Emma. She practically jumped five feet in the air when she heard Regina speak from behind her.

"Excuse me Madame Mayor. You scared me," Emma said with her hand covering her heart.

Regina inspected Emma's knee-jerk reaction and then continued talking.

"Why are you inspecting this eyesore of a bulletin board?" Regina asked.

"Well, I'm actually looking to see if there were any job listings up but I'm not seeing any so I guess I'll have to ask around. Do you know of anyone that might be hiring?"

Regina took a second to think, "Actually, I do know of someone who is in dire need of help."

"Oh really? Who is it? I really need the money."

"Well, Miss Swan, I do need someone to do yard work around the house as well as help me keep it tidy inside."

"You? You need help around the house?" Emma asked questioningly.

Regina rolled her eyes and replied, "Well yes dear, I am a human being who is in fact a mayor which makes me extremely busy."

"Of course. I would be happy to take that job."

Regina smiled devilishly, "Wonderful! You start today. We will work out payment once I see how well you work. I will be working from my home office today. Just let me grab the files I came for and we can head back to my place."

"Sure, take your time." Emma said as Regina started to walk into town hall.

"Hey, uh… Regina!"

"Yes Miss Swan?" Regina threw over her shoulder.

"I'll meet you at your place, I need the walk and the fresh air anyway." Emma heard no response so she took that as an "okay."

Once Regina was out of earshot, Emma picked up her cellphone and called Ruby.

"Hello?"

"You'll never believe who just gave me a job Rubes."

"Was it Gold? Please say it wasn't Gold."

"No silly! It was Regina!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Hello? Rubes? You still there?"

"Did you just say Mayor hot head Mills?"

"Mayor hot head? Really Ruby?"

"Yeah, hot head, but not in the way you're thinking."

"Wait, what do you mea-"

"Nothing, nothing! How the hell did you get a job with her? What are you her new secretary? You can't even keep your own bedroom clean let alone file paperwork and schedule meetings."

"Hey! That was rude. I totally could if I wanted to but no, I'll be working at her house like cleaning up the garden and stuff. Totally easy work!"

"If you say so… I gotta get back to work but good luck with the mayor Em's."

"Bye Ruby!"

By the time Emma's conversation with Ruby was over, she was at 108 Mifflin Street. The house looked just as perfect and pristine as it had when Emma was younger, when Mrs. Mills was the mayor. Emma was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard a car door slam.

"Something wrong with my house Miss Swan?"

Emma looked to her right to see Regina coming down her walkway. She looked stunning in a tight-fitted, knee length, blue dress with a cut-out in the back. She was a vision of beauty and Emma was completely mesmerized. Why hadn't she seen it before?

"Miss Swan?"

"Huh?"

"Articulate as always… Follow me."

Regina walked to her front door, unlocked it, walked inside and motioned for Emma to follow.

"Now, I have a few flowers that need to be planted in my front garden as well as in the garden by my study. I'll have you working inside and outside every day but the tasks will be different. Can you handle that?"

Emma rolled her eyes and leaned against the kitchen counter. "Of course Madame Mayor."

"Just making sure you were more intelligent than those two idiot parents of yours."

When Emma heard that, at first she should be offended but in all honesty, it was true. Her parents could sometimes be dim-witted and narrow-minded. Emma was again disrupted from her thoughts by Regina's voice.

"I expect you to be here every morning, excluding Saturdays and Sundays unless requested, by 8:30. You will do all of the inside chores first as to keep my house clean, unless you want some more cleaning to do. I don't care what you wear as long as it isn't that hideous red leather jacket. It really is an eye sore. You will be paid weekly but I have yet to determine the amount. I'd like to see what you can get done before I go writing off expensive checks that aren't worth the work dear. Any questions? Comments?"

"Why cant we figure out payment now?"

"Do you want a job Miss Swan? You could always go work for Mr. Gold. I'm sure he needs help with something over at his dingy little shop."

"No, no this is perfectly fine. What do you want me to do first?"

"That's what I thought. Well lucky for you, the inside of my house is immaculate. You'll only be doing work outside today. I would suggest taking that leather jacket off. It may be chilly now but you won't be cold in an hour or so Miss Swan." Regina thought that was a plausible excuse to get Emma to take that hideous leather jacket off and show off some muscle, but she would never admit that that was her goal. Emma nodded her head and shrugged off her jacket.

"Um… where should I put this?"

Regina put her hand out to take Emma's jacket and patiently waited for Emma to hand it over.

"Any day now Miss Swan."

"You're not gonna burn it, right?"

"Not today," was all Regina said as she walked to the entryway and hung up Emma's jacket on the coat rack. "Follow me, I set out all the tool this morning thinking I was going to have to do everything myself."

Regina led Emma out of the front door and to the side of the house where Regina's study was. The study had a window that gave a perfect view of where Emma would be working all morning.

"Everything is lain out where it is supposed to go. If you need anything, I'll be in the study."

Emma was left alone to plant some flowering and do some weeding in the garden which seemed to be a semi-easy task. It turned out that they were far more meticulous and time-consuming than Emma had originally thought. She hadn't noticed, but Regina had been watching her through the window in the study for the majority of the morning. To Regina, it was quite enthralling how Emma worked. But, of course, Regina's excuse for watching her was to make sure that she did everything correctly.

At around one in the afternoon, Emma had finished all of the work she was given to do in the garden. She got up, dusted her jeans off and walked toward the study window. Regina had finally started to get her work done when she heard a knock on the window behind her. She turned to see it was Emma with a goofy grin on her face and opened the window enough so Emma could pop her head in and speak to Regina.

"I finished everything. Now can we discuss payment?" Emma's goofy smile never wavered.

Regina looked over Emma's shoulder to see the work she had done. If Regina were being honest, it was better than anything she could have done herself.

"Yes Miss Swan. We may discuss payment. Come inside."

Emma did as she was told. Before she stepped into the house, she took off her muddy shoes and left them on the porch with her planting gloves. She made her way to the study where Regina had two fresh glasses of apple cider. Emma made her way over to the drink that Regina was holding out for her.

"Thank you," Emma said before taking a sip of her drink.

"You did well Miss Swan. For every hour you work I am willing to pay you $80."

Emma practically choked on her next sip of alcohol.

"What? $80? Are you sure Regina?"

"Yes, why? I could lower it to $10 if you'd like."

"Um… no, yeah that's fine. Isn't that just, kind of a lot for just yard work and house work?"

"You'll be doing a lot of work Miss Swan. Trust me. I believe we are done for the day. You may let yourself out."

"Sure," Emma set her drink down and began to walk out of Regina's study when she suddenly turned around and stared at Regina. "Thanks."

"For what, Miss Swan?"

"For offering me a job and all. I really needed it."

"That much was obvious."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good day Miss Swan." With that, Emma walked into the entryway, grabbed her leather jacket and headed home to take a relaxing shower and catch Ruby up on the events of the day.

Thank you all so much for reading! Review, review, review!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The next morning Emma woke up feeling a little sore but refreshed from her cold shower from last night. She looked over to her bedside table and saw that her alarm clock read 6:43 A.M. It was too early to go over to Regina's but she couldn't fall back asleep so she got dressed in her skinny jeans and a black tank top with a gray cardigan and left the house to find something to do this early in the morning.

She was walking around the town when she spotted an ambulance parked at the sheriff's station. That reminded her that she had yet to visit Jefferson. It made her feel guilty but she didn't know how to handle the situation. Emma couldn't make up her mind. Should she go visit Jefferson now and get it over with or should she prolong her guilt? She decided that it was now or never so she made her way toward the Storybrooke Medical Center.

Once inside, Emma walked up to the front desk and asked if the psychiatric department was taking visitors at this hour. Luckily, she was granted access to that wing of the hospital as long as she was escorted by a nurse. The nurse looked familiar to her but she just couldn't put her finger on where she had seen the woman before. Emma was lead down bunches and bunches of long, dimly lit hallways that just gave her the creeps. The nurses voice stirred her out of her thoughts.

"I will have to make sure he is awake and stable enough for visitors before I let you in."

"That's perfectly fine."

The nurse stopped at room 322. She unlocked the door, stepped inside and motioned for Emma to wait while she made sure everything was okay. The nurse stepped back out of the room and let Emma in.

"You can stay in there for no more than two hours. If he seems like he is pulling too much on his restraints, press the button by the door and walk out. Someone will assist you right away."

"Got it. Thank you." Emma walked into the room and sat in the chair to the left of Jefferson's hospital bed. He was looking out of the little window on the right wall of his room and ignoring whomever ventured into his room. He didn't even realize Emma was there.

"Hey Jeff, it's me, Emma."

Slowly, Jefferson turned his head to look at Emma. The second he laid eyes on her, tears began to well. He was at a loss for words until Emma reached out and held his hand.

"Emma? Is it really you?"

"Yeah Jeff, I'm back."

"Finally, you'll be able to save us all from this hell hole. Listen, so much has happened since you left. We have to get me out of here or maybe not because that would be suspicious but we have to take her down. This is going to be perfect. Listen, listen to me. You are our savior Emma. The savior will defeat the Queen. The savior will destroy the Queen. She has taken everything from us and you will bring it back. The Queen will be gone. The savior will save us! Emma, that's you! We must capture the evil Queen. Does she know you know? Strange things have been happening in this town Emma, strange things…"

Jefferson just continued to babble as Emma looked on helplessly. She had lost all hope for her good friend until she caught the tail-end of one of his sentences.

"Wait, Jeff, what did you just say?"

"The Evil Queen cast the curse?"

"No, no, after that."

"Mr. Gold should have known better than to let Regina take you under her wing?"

"Yeah, how did you know she offered me a job? I guess that's not really 'taking me under her wing' but still."

"Well it was obvious. You wreak of Regina. You have to break down her walls and make her trust you. She won't suspect a thing. This is perfect."

"Jeff, tell me the whole story again."

"You believe? You believe! This is great! Before you were even born your parents had a feud with the Evil Queen. Snow had done something to her first love that got his killed when they were going to run off with one another. From then on, Regina started taking dark magic lessons from Rumple or Gold I guess and she really transformed into the Evil Queen. She cast a curse when we were young and sent us to here. A place without magic. Some people stayed together but others were separated from their loved ones. Luckily, your parents true love was strong enough to keep them together but not strong enough to keep their knowledge of what the Queen has done. Or maybe rumple planned that. Emma, we can do this together. Haven't you noticed how people haven't aged? I mean the children have but Snow and Charming and Gold and Mr. Clark and Archie haven't aged one bit ever since we were brought here."

"Slow down Jeff… What are you talking about?"

"Age! Aging! Ages! Emma your parents are still in their twenties just like we are now, its crazy, no aging, the curse! The curse must have been made to only keep certain people stuck in time, time hasn't changed, no one changes just us, just the children."

"Yeah… I guess you're right. But this is crazy. This cannot be possible Jeff. Magic doesn't exist. The Evil Queen was just a fairytale character."

"Oh, but it can Emma! It can. Anything can happen. Anything can be real. Magic is around here somewhere. I can feel it. It's locked up. The Queen! The Queen has taken everything from me even my magic. She took my parents from me. She took my brother. I have to find a way back, a way out, a way to home. Emma we can do this. You believe, do you believe?"

"Jeff, I don't know. I mean yeah, some things are weird like Regina has been going places she normally doesn't and my parents look super young but I don't think that it is all because of a curse. It just… I'm sorry, but it all seems so crazy."

"Crazy? Crazy. You're right, it is crazy. That's perfect. Then no one will be on our trail. Just look for clues and visit me often and we can crack this case for good Em's."

Jefferson squeezed Emma's hand when he said her name. It brought Emma back to reality and she realized that maybe this isn't such a crazy idea. When she left Storybrooke, she had the opportunity to see how the real world works. There were new cars and bigger buildings. There were more people than she could have ever imagined and even the smallest things, like ordering take-out, were different outside of Storybrooke. People did seem to age quicker and not every day was the same exact routine. Jefferson may be on to something.

"Fine, I'll keep an eye out." Emma looked down at her cellphone and saw that it was almost past 8:40. She would be late to work.

"Hey, Jeff, I gotta go. I'm late for work. I will be back, I promise." Immediately, Emma ran down the never-ending hospital hallways and out the front doors to the Mayors house. She was about to get an earful for being late.

Completely out of breath, Emma knocked on the front door of 108 Mifflin Street. She bent over and placed her hands on her thighs to support herself. The door swung open to a furious Regina Mills. Emma looked up from her position and gave Regina a pained smile.

"Care to explain why you're late?" was all Regina said.

Emma knew she couldn't tell the truth about where she was even if what Jeff said wasn't true. She didn't want to risk it. She figured she looked warm and sweaty enough to pass off running as an excuse.

"I went out for an early morning jog and just lost track of the time. I'm sorry."

Regina seemed to believe what Emma said because she moved out of the way so Emma could make her way in to the house. You could tell there was some tension between the two because Regina closed the front door and silently walked to her study, expecting Emma to follow her.

"Today you will be working in my study. I want all the books dusted off and removed from their shelves and then organized by date."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Do I look like I'm joking, Miss Swan?" Regina said with a blank stare.

"No, um… not at all."

"You can start over there," Regina pointed to the shelves closest to her desk. Emma immediately started working on dusting off the books with the supplies that were lain out on the floor for her. She did quick work of cleaning everything but she knew that the organization part was going to be killer so she decided to make some light conversation with her new boss. Little did she know, Regina was watching her work, yet again.

"So, how long have you lived in this house?" Emma asked.

"A long time Miss Swan."

"Yeah, me too. Well, I mean, not in this house but in mine. I mean, I've lived here for as long as I can remember."

"I see."

Emma glanced back to see what Regina was doing. Had she just caught the mayor staring at her?

"So, how do you like being mayor?"

"It is a full-time job Miss Swan."

"Do you ever get breaks?"

"No, and I suggest you keep working if you want to keep this job, unless you want a permanent break."

Emma looked back at Regina, completely frustrated and angry at the fact that she didn't want to keep a conversation going in the silent room.

"No, I'm sorry." Emma quietly went back to work, taking the books off of the shelves and looking through each one, trying to determine the dates of all the books. Regina sat at her desk and dutifully worked on her paperwork. Being mayor actually wasn't as hard as it was cracked up to be. She had made it quite easy on herself when she created the town.

An hour later, Regina was done with all of her paperwork. She watched Emma struggle to reach the books on the top shelf of one of her many bookcases and giggled to herself.

"Miss Swan, there's a step stool to the left of the bookcase."

Emma looked back at Regina and blushed.

"Thank you."

She walked toward the left side of the shelves and looked back at Regina who was pouring herself a glass of cider from the crystal decanter.

"A little early for a drink, don't you think Madame Mayor?"

"It's five o'clock somewhere," was all Regina said before looking at her watch. She set her drink down and began to walk out of her study.

"I have some business to attend to Miss Swan. I trust you can finish your job in a timely manner and not snoop through any of my things?"

Emma just nodded and went back to work. Regina grabbed her jacket from the hooks by the front door and went on her way. Once Regina was out of sight, Emma called Ruby.

"Hey Em's, what's up?"

"Ruby, I need you to do me a favor, are you working?"

"Yeah, I start in half an hour. What's up?"

"Keep an eye out for Regina today, alright?"

"Why Emma? What's going on?"

"Nothing, I just want to know how she does all her mayor-ly stuff."

"That's bullshit Em's. Tell me what's going on."

"Okay, but you can't tell anyone, got it?"

"Got it."

"I went to visit Jeff today and-"

"Oh, Emma. You can't possibly believe anything he says."

"No, Ruby, just listen. He said that strange things have been happening and I think he is right. Regina was at the library the other day, when does she ever go there?"

"Emma, seriously, this is crazy."

"Ruby, please. Do this for me. I'm not crazy, I'm just checking up on our towns mayor, okay? If you love me, you'll do this for me!"

"Fine… I'll keep an eye out for her."

"Oh, thank you, thank you Ruby!"

"Yeah, yeah you're welcome."

"Keep me updated?"

"Of course, I gotta go Em's. Love you!"

"Love you too, Rube's."

Emma hung up the phone and finished the shelf she was working on. She figured if she dusted off the rest of the shelves and moved the books around, it would look like she had organized them properly. It's not like she wouldn't have time to fix it later on. After she did that, she walked over to Regina's desk. "What are you hiding Regina Mills?" Emma asked. All of the drawers were locked except for one. The bottom right drawer was slightly open and Emma could see something shiny inside. She opened the drawer ever so slightly and saw a huge ring filled with what she presumed to be skeleton keys. She picked the ring up and examined the keys. It seemed as though there could have been a key for every door in the whole damn town. "What kind of game are you playing Regina?"

 ** _Emma: Hey Ruby, anything yet?_**

 ** _Ruby: Yeah, Mayor Hot Head just pulled into a parking space near the library. You were right Em's._**

 ** _Emma: Belle is working there, right?_**

 ** _Ruby: She should be._**

 ** _Emma: Awesome, thank you so much Ruby! I owe you!_**

* * *

 ** _Emma: Hey Belle! Quick question. Is the mayor with you right now?_**

 ** _Belle: No but she is in the library. She told me she had to check something in the back room but I didn't think anyone was allowed in there. Why? What's up?_**

 ** _Emma: Nothing Belle, I was just wondering. She left the house while I was working on something for her and I needed to contact her but I don't have her number. No worries though, it can wait until she gets back._**

Emma figured Regina wouldn't notice if her keys were missing for a few hours so she closed the drawer and headed to Granny's Diner to figure out what was really going on in this town.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone! The responses to this story have been overwhelmingly pleasing! I am so happy that you are sticking with it! I know this chapter is a bit late but I was on vacation in Disney! As always, read, review and enjoy! I love you all so much! (Remember, reviews keep me going and inspire me. I love to hear your thoughts on the story. I do not own OUAT or the characters.)

-Mikayla

Chapter Six

 ** _Emma: Belle, can you try to keep Regina occupied for a little while whenever she comes out from the back room?_**

 ** _Belle: Sure! Is everything okay?_**

 ** _Emma: Yeah, I just need more time to sort these books and I don't want her to come home to a messy house. Thanks! I owe you!_**

Emma was going to owe a lot of favors to a lot of people by the time she figured out what was going on in this town. She strode into Granny's with purpose and confidence as to get her way.

"Ruby, are you almost on break? I need you to come with me."  
"What's up Emma? Are you okay?"  
"I need you to come with me, A.S.A.P."

"Granny, can I go on break now?"  
Granny walked out from the back of the restaurant.  
"I guess so but you only have an hour, got it? I'll need you for the lunch rush."

"Thanks Granny!" Both Emma and Ruby said in sync.

"Okay, we need to go see Jefferson."

"What? Why? Emma, what's going on?"

"I'll explain later, come on."

Emma led the way to the Storybrooke Medical Center with Ruby in tow. She figured she might as well let August in on this as well since he was the most level-headed one of their group. They would just have to fill Belle in when they got the chance.

 ** _Emma: Hey August. Meet me and Ruby at the Storybrooke Medical Center. Jeff's room. A.S.A.P._**

Emma didn't even glance back down at her phone until Ruby and herself were standing in the hallway outside of Jefferson's room. August ran up beside them.

"Emma, what the hell is going on?" August asked, out of breath.

"You'll see."

The nurse ushered them in and went over the same rules Emma was already told that same morning. Once the nurse was gone, Emma pulled the ring of keys from her sweater and set them down on Jefferson's bed.

"I found these in Regina's desk drawer. Jeff, can we let them in on our talk this morning?"

"Yes. The Queen, the Evil Queen she had these. These go to everything, anything. She can be anywhere, go anywhere, don't you see? She will know. She will find out. These have to go back Emma. They've got to go."  
Emma nodded. "Yes Jeff, I know. I think you were right." Emma looked toward August and Ruby who were totally and completely dumbstruck. Ruby spoke up first.  
"Emma, have you lost your mind?"

"No, Ruby, just listen to her," August interrupted, "she may be on to something. You can't tell me that ever since she's left, things haven't been weird around here? I mean Regina has been extremely secretive and Jeff has been talking about these fairytales like they were true for months. Let's cut them a little slack and see what they have to say."

August has always been this kind of person. Listen to the whole story, then freak out. He knows that Emma would never do something like this unless she felt that it was necessary. She never over-exaggerates and she never makes things up. She was too awful of a liar to put together this whole story and make them all believe it. August was ready to help Emma no matter what happened and he would make sure all of his friends were going to help too. Emma smiled and squeezed August's hand for the slightest moment, sort of as a "thank you."

"I visited Jeff this morning and he made me realize a few things. Who, besides us and the children of this town, have aged at all?" August and Ruby looked at one another and then back at Emma.

"No one, right? My parents still look like they are twenty-something years old. We almost look older than them. Regina has been doing shady things, especially in that back room in the library. Mr. Gold, even though he was generally always creepy, has stepped up his creepiness factor recently. I know I have only been here for a few days but that was all it took for me to realize that something is wrong here. When I moved away for those few years, I experienced a new world. People aged quicker, they almost seemed to age by the second. There were hundreds of different people with different personalities that changed every day, but here, nothing changes. People have a routine that they follow by and it never changes. Outside of Storybrooke, people do things differently every single day. It has me thinking that something is going on here. Jefferson kept saying something about Regina finding out and about her knowing. He said that there was a savior coming to help everyone. Could he be right? Is Regina planning something that none of us know of? I know this sounds crazy but Jeff said something about us coming from a different land. We do everything differently in Storybrooke, almost like we've never seen the light of a new day. Could we be from somewhere else? You guys have to help me. I feel crazy just like Jeff must have when he walked over that town line. Speaking of that, how come, when he went over the line, these 'memories' came back to him but when I went over the town line, nothing happened?"

August decided it was his turn to speak, "Emma, slow down. I understand that everything is a bit overwhelming right now, but are you just thinking these things because you're over-tired?"  
"No, August! I'm not. I know what I'm saying. You, of all people, should believe me."

Emma looked right into Augusts eyes and she saw something change in them. It was almost like she had willed him to believe.

"I believe you Emma. I think, I think I remember something. We must have been young but I remember my parents. They were frightened by someone or something that was coming. I don't remember how old I was but I remember huddling under the blankets with them and a cool mist blowing on us. Maybe Jefferson isn't crazy. Jeff, tell us about this alleged curse."

Jefferson smiled. "Emma, you're doing it. You're slowly breaking the curse."  
Emma smiled back at Jefferson and convinced him to continue.

"The curse was cast by the Evil Queen. She had lost her first love at the hand of Snow White. It took her years to learn her dark magic, but with the help of Rumplestiltskin, she finally achieved her goal. A curse was created to end all of the happy endings in the Enchanted Forest and even beyond. It seemed to only have effected the more grown of the people within it's reach. They never aged and have been stuck in an endless loop. But us, on the other hand, haven't been as effected. I believe we had our memories erased and some things have changed but we have still grown and changed. Something must have gone wrong."

It was Ruby's turn to speak. "Are you fucking kidding me? You are all crazy. Magic isn't real. This can't be happening right now. Belle will never believe this."  
"Actually, I think Belle will," August said as she stood up and walked toward the window. "She has read every book known to this town. She could be the strongest believer out of all of us."

"Really August?" Ruby questioned. "You believe this bullshit?"  
"Ruby," Jefferson spoke up, "it isn't bullshit. This is real. This is all real. It isn't just in my head. It isn't just in my head anymore. Now we all believe. The curse will continuously weaken. We can do this. Emma will beat her. She is our savior. She will do this for us."

"Wait, wait, wait. You think _Emma_ is the savior? That's just great." Ruby was now pacing back and forth in the small hospital room. Emma stood up to grab her hands and comfort her, but when she did, something changed in Ruby too.  
"Emma... what did you just do?"

"What? I held your hands?"  
"No, no… Emma, I can see it now. We, Jeff, he's right. How did you do that?"  
"Do what? Ruby, I don't understand."  
August stepped toward the pair and grasped on to the top of their links hands. All of a sudden, something flashed in their eyes.

"Emma… we remember."  
Jefferson became giddy and began to pull against his restraints. "This is it! Finally, freedom. It is working. Emma this is great. Keep going. You are the key. You are magic. Break her down and make everyone believe."

Jefferson started to become too excited and his restraints started to rub too hard on his wrists causing bruising and bleeding. His heart rate jumped and the monitor began to make noises. Within seconds, nurses charged into the room and pushed Ruby, Emma and August out of the cramped room. Luckily, Ruby was sly enough to grab the ring of keys without being noticed. She dangled them in the air as the trio began to walk out of the hospital.  
"I think it's about time we do some investigating."


End file.
